Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1887-04-01
FROM THE GREAT YUKON.
A Letter From q Geld
Hunter I'm Alaska.
Especial CSTT. PosT-INTKLkI0BscxH.
srxwAKT RIvKn TnADEss PosT. !
~. ". II. Nov 10. Iasf


EDTToR Posr-IaTxLEE0kscxR:
when left seattle promised yoa I
would write yoa from the Interior oous-
tFy Of Alaska, and I take this. my FRS
opportunity 10 fuIGil my promise, and
viii try and give yoa and your msny
readers The bsneas Of what have sess
and learned about the country sur
rounding the Yukon River ana is
tributaries. | Isft JaRssa, Alaska, the
fore part Of Juiy, and arrived At Chill
koot after pleasant eanse trip Of three
days, and after trying for two days to
engage Indians 10 DO oar packing aeFsss
ths divide, We started TO do il ourselves.
and were "a days going 30 miles from
salt water 10 the shores Of Lake
Gindeman. Here we buiit Q raft Of dry
spruce poles. loaded our supplies aRd
dressed the lake, nice miles 10 the HEai
portage Of one-half mile 20 the shores
Of Laks BENNETT. Hers ne expected 20
build ouF boat. but the trees looked like
whipstaIks 10 %, after living aftesn
years among the BIG trees Of PUGET
sound. So. after looking through the
woods all one day, We turn eur raft
Ieoss AZ the head OF the rapids that
connect the two lakes, and catch Il a.
the bottom, load our supplies and set
sail down the lake, looking for q tree
large enough 10 make six-ineh lumber
with which 10 bald q boat. Twenty
~ lnt a.
that will answer, and We make camp
and 20 10 whipsawinR. II takes as two
weeks 10 build boat. and then We
start down the lake With a strong head
wind blowing. The hFEt day out We
came la company with Bishop Saisns.
Of Viotoris, and party Of Missionaries,
and Itravel In their company ~ far as
the Salmon River. and Aud them 10 be
Aae gentlemen and Jolly good travelling
compositions. We finish Lake Beninett
the first day out. Beminett IL 20 miles
long. Nov We pass through . narrow
channel OF ten miles ts Lske Takow, a
lake Of % miles This We pull across in
9 dead calm, and camp out. This Is
The trading post Of the Chilko0t
Indians. Here they bring their
ictaa 10 trade With the Stick
Indians for their furs. The next
mornino We start at O'Clock 20 cross
Lake Marsh, thirty miles. Rave q
heavy fog In the morning. hat with the
drst rays Of the sun comes fair wind
and We make the crossing In four hours
and enter Sixty Mile River, very rapid
stream, and arrive Al the canyoa before
dark. Here We pack our supplies across
Aportage Of one mile and ron the can
Won With the empty boat. This canyon
In about fifty miles wide. 100 feet deep
and half mile long, The water PUSHES
throHeh at about speed Of 70 miles
an hour and makes a terrible noise
Bat there Ia not much danger In ran
ming u. a. the water IL very deco and no
rocks are In the way. There has never
been the slightest accident 70 any Of the
100 boats that have run through IT,
Now comes three miles Of rapids the
White Horse Rapids. Here We maxi
q portage OF oar supplies Of one mile
and draw orr boat over With lines
This Ia the last portage. Now We can
load OR boat for q straight run OF
200 miles, to the mouth Of the Yukon
All the country We have passed through
30 this place IL OF the low, rolling noun
tain character, showing plenty OF
marsh. Timber small aud only on the
bottoms. Hills covered with bunch
grass. and wherever rock lodges shOW
iron stone Is plentiful. with now And
then small, well defined vein OF iron
ore.
After crossing White Horse rapids
the country becomes more rugged
mountains higher and more timber
although have not seen tree yet tina,
would square ten inches. We made the
run 10 Lake Lebaree In Que day. and
after lavinR over ore day fer wind, We
started 10 cross our last lake. Had fair
wind and crossed in one day-5O miles.
Now We enter the Louis River, which Is
nothing hut the upper end " toe Yukop
River, and IL q very rapid stream. And
now commences the great gravel baLks
that produce the gold found gu the bars
Of the Louis River and it, tributaries
Fifty miles down the Louis we aud the
hrat miners at woFk-Huphes aud nens
more. They have very rich bar when
the water Ia low enough 10 work. Here
! meet Mr.. Beck and Mr. Markus--Saat.
tie men--on their way out Mr.. Crolfard
81 White River had left here tho day
before got here 10 walk ont. Has be
ever turned up In SsattleI He must
have had IA hard time OF IL, as Il Is .
hard country b. get through on foot. /
saw the FIRST dust at this place and
guessed the amount 60 be- 1900. and
WAS told there Was only $itOO. Tae
gold IL very fine and has 90 be caught
with quicksilver. and when u IL Fetorted
II swells up like a sponge. They have
made ~ high a. R7h ger day to the man
on this bar. Three miles down the
river We came 81 the Cassiar Bar. WHERE
there are nine men At work. They have
just began b. rock. after being idle
since the 22dof June. In sixteen DAYS
In June they made from 800 10 sllOo
10 the man. Since that time thew could
not work for high water. Here Ne hear
frsm Bic Salmon River that no one has
made any money there this season. The
bars are small aud only paw Al the
heads. High water has gathered minors
there thu same as il hns on the Louis
River. From here 20 the Salmon River
We tnd = Rutaber az men, some % them
getting ready 10 GO cot, going q 1wa 10
Stewart River and some WAITING FOR the
water TO fall ~ that they can work on
the bars. All are short OF etuh and
have hcen raving 6 cents per poand All
round for -four, bacon, beans ara sn0aT.
They tell as Of some good hars below
the salmon and We start for them. The
nrst QUE we stop At think will nav 40
per day. but nv partner says fe1. We
try u for one day and make Si.TA: -
next morning We start on down the
river. AZ the next bar We stop "a W
mud better prospects, and get ready 90
spena the balance % the SEASON mining
Make good cAmp aud 90 90 work the
next morning and rock cut zoo buckets
af gravel aud clean ap. Fhink our bali
ct amaleam Gill weigh fiS. aDd n the
water sooald fall we could make good
wages.
The next morning | was the & At
NJ. and on looking sat l saw our
wash-hox going down stream. nsAks
run down the bar and catch h, bring
it back and look At our Naies ~ ark and
hRd that shs river has risen tSo feet
and that car pay dirt Is all under water.
80 yon nav BET thai there we're
long Eases At hFsAkfast that mora
Ing. We waited tWa DAYS, and
IS the water kept rising. We mad
no our mtnds that we bad better ~
hSsting deun stream locking for meat
TO winter on than Go D. lAyiae here . q
ipe grub ~ ~ had 4 on blst an Z
started Tor ; ewsrt River We wrrp ID
dAya making SO miles NNalne 81 in
teresi occurred 90 ne trip dsuu, except
the ktiifn 81 iva haars Wara4 81.